Dreaming the Mountain

by Tuệ Sỹ, Nguyen Ba Chung (Translator), Martha Collins (Translator)

The North American debut of Tuệ Sỹ—poet, monk, scholar, dissident, and one of the great cultural figures of modern Vietnam—and a new bilingual edition to the Seedbank series. In addition to being a preeminent scholar of world philosophy and a Zen master, Tuệ Sỹ is one of Vietnam’s most celebrated poets. He is a survivor of sixteen years of imprisonment and an eloquent witness to the tumult, tragedy, and resilience of his country over the last sixty years—and a full-length translation of his work into English is long overdue. Assembled and co-translated by Vietnamese poet and essayist Nguyen Ba Chung and acclaimed American poet Martha Collins, Dreaming the Mountain reflects a lifetime of creation, crisis, and commitment. With poems presented on facing pages in Vietnamese and English, this volume includes the early imagism of Tuệ Sỹ’s Zen studies as a scholar and critic, midlife work that represents his attempted retreat from the devastation of war and subsequent years of imprisonment, and late, elliptical poems that give intensely lyrical expression to a lifetime of profound experience. From the “fleeting dream of red blood at dusk” to the quiet determination of one who sets out to “repaint the dawn,” these poems reflect the journey of an artist who speaks for his country, who captures its darkness and its light. At once personal and universal, coolly observant and deeply compassionate, the poems of Tuệ Sỹ bring singular attention to a fleeting, painfully beautiful world.

Genres: Poetry

168 pages, Paperback

Published June 13, 2023

About the author

Thượng tọa Thích Tuệ Sỹ tục danh Phạm Văn Thương sinh ngày 15 tháng 2 năm 1943 tại Paksé, Lào, nguyên quán tại Quảng Bình, Việt Nam, là một học giả uyên bác về Phật giáo, nguyên giáo sư của Đại học Vạn Hạnh (Sài Gòn).

Ông thông thạo tiếng Trung Hoa, tiếng Anh, tiếng Pháp, tiếng Pali, tiếng Phạn và tiếng Nhật, đọc hiểu tiếng Đức. Ông được giới học giả Việt Nam đánh giá cao vì đã công bố nhiều tiểu luận, chuyên khảo, thơ và nhiều công trình dịch thuật Phật giáo từ tiếng Phạn, tiếng Trung Hoa và tiếng Nhật.

Ông mất ngày 24 tháng 11 năm 2023 tại chùa Phật Ân, tỉnh Đồng Nai

Reviews

[Brittany Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of poems and philosophy and meditations. There are some wonderful moments and this translation is generous and expansive. Tue Sy is a Buddhist monk who was imprisoned in Vietnam as a political prisoner for sixteen years!!! Before and during that imprisonment, he wrote poetry of his life, his country, his love, and his devotion. This book is a beautiful collection and tribute to his work.

[jo :-) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this one in my favorite bookstore, shoutout alienated majesty’s translated poetry section!

Beautiful beautiful writing, I will definitely be revisiting this one to further analyze and also to practice my vietnamese. I love how he revisits his ideas and imagery in his poetry throughout his life, and his dedication to the Trường Sơn makes me want to visit and see them. Love especially the ideas of the forests and cities interacting with each other, dreaming of each other.

Also. Wow. Incredible idea to have the original Vietnamese in green on the left side and the translated English in black on the right. Every poetry in translation book should look this awesome and cohesive

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting imagery and sensory details with this collection.

My favorite poems were:
• Rainy Season in the Highlands
• Black Hair
• Dream of a Long Life
• Fleeting Dream
• Piano Keys
• I Still Wait
• Nocturne
• Practicing Cursive Writing

[Cody Stetzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In the midst of infinity, what hope of sorrow, joy?"

[Maya Modelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lit asf. Really beautiful natural imagery

[Hannah Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

“For a long time I’ve been sitting in a graveyard
Like white silk, cold moonlight covers the forest—
As chill night winds blow in, demons tremble
Quivering, kissing heaps of thin bones”

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this captivating chronological compilation, the “Introduction” offers background on the Vietnamese writer, “Tuệ Sỹ, born in 1943, joined a Zen order at the age of ten and later became an eminent Buddhist scholar, professor, poet, and translator.” Reflecting on dreams, the sky, spirituality, and wandering, I leafed through this in an afternoon, a night, and a morning, carrying it with me in my purse. Physically beautiful, the original poems appear in bright green and the translations in black. Take in these two breathtaking lines from “Refrains for Piano”: “Back then I loved you / Restless mountain moon”

from “Reflecting on Spring’s Poetry” via BOOK RIOT: https://bookriot.com/reflecting-on-sp...